Arginine degradation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa mutants blocked in two arginine catabolic pathways

N-Carbamoylputrescine Amidohydrolase of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, a Dominant Species of the Human Gut Microbiota

Polyamines are bioactive amines that play a variety of roles, such as promoting cell proliferation and protein synthesis, and the intestinal lumen contains up to several mM polyamines derived from the gut microbiota. In the present study, we conducted genetic and biochemical analyses of the polyamine biosynthetic enzyme N-carbamoylputrescine amidohydrolase (NCPAH) that converts N-carbamoylputrescine to putrescine, a precursor of spermidine in Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, which is one of the most dominant species in the human gut microbiota. First, ncpah gene deletion and complemented strains were generated, and the intracellular polyamines of these strains cultured in a polyamine-free minimal medium were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography. The results showed that spermidine detected in the parental and complemented strains was depleted in the gene deletion strain. Next, purified NCPAH-(His)₆ was analyzed for enzymatic activity and found to be capable of converting N-carbamoylputrescine to putrescine, with a Michaelis constant (K_m) and turnover number (k_cat) of 730 µM and 0.8 s^-1, respectively. Furthermore, the NCPAH activity was strongly (>80%) inhibited by agmatine and spermidine, and moderately (≈50%) inhibited by putrescine. This feedback inhibition regulates the reaction catalyzed by NCPAH and may play a role in intracellular polyamine homeostasis in B. thetaiotaomicron.

Non-active Site Residue in Loop L4 Alters Substrate Capture and Product Release in d-Arginine Dehydrogenase

Numerous studies demonstrate that enzymes undergo multiple conformational changes during catalysis. The malleability of enzymes forms the basis for allosteric regulation: residues located far from the active site can exert long-range dynamical effects on the active site residues to modulate catalysis. The structure of Pseudomonas aeruginosa d-arginine dehydrogenase (PaDADH) shows four loops (L1, L2, L3, and L4) that span the substrate and the FAD-binding domains. Loop L4 comprises residues 329-336, spanning over the flavin cofactor. The I335 residue on loop L4 is ∼10 Å away from the active site and ∼3.8 Å from N(1)-C(2)═O atoms of the flavin. In this study, we used molecular dynamics and biochemical techniques to investigate the effect of the mutation of I335 to histidine on the catalytic function of PaDADH. Molecular dynamics showed that the conformational dynamics of PaDADH are shifted to a more closed conformation in the I335H variant. In agreement with an enzyme that samples more in a closed conformation, the kinetic data of the I335H variant showed a 40-fold decrease in the rate constant of substrate association (k₁), a 340-fold reduction in the rate constant of substrate dissociation from the enzyme-substrate complex (k₂), and a 24-fold decrease in the rate constant of product release (k₅), compared to that of the wild-type. Surprisingly, the kinetic data are consistent with the mutation having a negligible effect on the reactivity of the flavin. Altogether, the data indicate that the residue at position 335 has a long-range dynamical effect on the catalytic function in PaDADH.

The arginine decarboxylase pathways of host and pathogen interact to impact inflammatory pathways in the lung

The arginine decarboxylase pathway, which converts arginine to agmatine, is present in both humans and most bacterial pathogens. In humans agmatine is a neurotransmitter with affinities towards α2-adrenoreceptors, serotonin receptors, and may inhibit nitric oxide synthase. In bacteria agmatine serves as a precursor to polyamine synthesis and was recently shown to enhance biofilm development in some strains of the respiratory pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We determined agmatine is at the center of a competing metabolism in the human lung during airways infections and is influenced by the metabolic phenotypes of the infecting pathogens. Ultra performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry detection was used to measure agmatine in human sputum samples from patients with cystic fibrosis, spent supernatant from clinical sputum isolates, and from bronchoalvelolar lavage fluid from mice infected with P. aeruginosa agmatine mutants. Agmatine in human sputum peaks during illness, decreased with treatment and is positively correlated with inflammatory cytokines. Analysis of the agmatine metabolic phenotype in clinical sputum isolates revealed most deplete agmatine when grown in its presence; however a minority appeared to generate large amounts of agmatine presumably driving sputum agmatine to high levels. Agmatine exposure to inflammatory cells and in mice demonstrated its role as a direct immune activator with effects on TNF-α production, likely through NF-κB activation. P. aeruginosa mutants for agmatine detection and metabolism were constructed and show the real-time evolution of host-derived agmatine in the airways during acute lung infection. These experiments also demonstrated pathogen agmatine production can upregulate the inflammatory response. As some clinical isolates have adapted to hypersecrete agmatine, these combined data would suggest agmatine is a novel target for immune modulation in the host-pathogen dynamic.

N-Succinylated intermediates in an arginine catabolic pathway of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Arginine-nonutilizing (aru) mutants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO converted L-arginine to N(2)-succinylarginine or N-succinylglutamate, which were identified by high-voltage electrophoresis and HPLC. Addition of aminooxyacetate, an inhibitor of pyridoxal phosphate-dependent enzymes, to resting cells of the wild-type PAO1 in arginine medium led to the accumulation of N(2)-succinylornithine. Enzyme assays with crude P. aeruginosa extracts established the following pathway: L-arginine + succinyl-CoA --> N(2)-succinylarginine --> N(2)-succinylornithine --> N_succinylglutamate 5-semialdehyde --> N-succinylglutamate --> succinate + glutamate. Succinyl-CoA may be regenerated from glutamate via 2-ketoglutarate. L-Arginine induced the enzymes of the pathway, and succinate caused catabolite repression. Purified N(2)-acetylornithine 5-aminotransferase (N(2)-acetyl-L-ornithine: 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase, EC 2.6.1.11), an arginine biosynthetic enzyme, efficiently transaminated N(2)-succinylornithine; this explains the enzyme's dual role in arginine biosynthesis and catabolism. The succinylarginine pathway enables P. aeruginosa to utilize arginine efficiently as a carbon source under aerobic conditions, whereas the other three arginine catabolic pathways previously established in P. aeruginosa fulfill different functions.

Arginine racemization by coupled catabolic and anabolic dehydrogenases

D-amino acids exist in living organisms as specialized components of many different machineries. Biosynthesis of D-amino acids from racemization of predominant L-enantiomers is catalyzed by a single enzyme. Here, we report the finding of a novel 2-component amino acid racemase for D-to-L inversion in D-arginine metabolism of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. From DNA microarray analysis, the putative dauBAR operon (for D-arginine utilization) of unknown functions was found to be highly induced by D-arginine. The importance of the dau operon in D-arginine metabolism was demonstrated by the findings that strains with a lesion at dauA or dauB failed to use D-arginine as sole carbon source. Two lines of evidence suggest that DauA and DauB are required for D-to-L racemization of arginine. First, growth complementation of an L-arginine auxotroph by D-arginine was abolished by a lesion at dauA or dauB. Second, D-arginine induced L-arginine-specific genes in the parental strain PAO1 but not in its dauA or dauB mutants. This hypothesis was further supported by activity measurements of the purified enzymes: DauA catalyzes oxidative deamination of D-arginine into 2-ketoarginine and ammonia, and DauB is able to use 2-ketoarginine and ammonia as substrates and convert them into L-arginine in the presence of NADPH or NADH. Thus, we propose that DauA and DauB are coupled catabolic and anabolic dehydrogenases to perform D-to-L racemization of arginine, which serves as prerequisite of D-arginine utilization through L-arginine catabolic pathways.

Functional genomics enables identification of genes of the arginine transaminase pathway in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Arginine utilization in Pseudomonas aeruginosa with multiple catabolic pathways represents one of the best examples of the metabolic versatility of this organism. To identify genes involved in arginine catabolism, we have employed DNA microarrays to analyze the transcriptional profiles of this organism in response to L-arginine. While most of the genes involved in arginine uptake, regulation, and metabolism have been identified as members of the ArgR (arginine-responsive regulatory protein) regulon in our previous study, they did not include any genes of the arginine dehydrogenase (ADH) pathway. In this study, 18 putative transcriptional units of 38 genes, including the two known genes of the ADH pathway, kauB and gbuA, were found to be inducible by exogenous L-arginine in the absence of ArgR. To identify the missing genes that encode enzymes for the initial steps of the ADH pathway, the potential physiological functions of those candidate genes in arginine utilization were studied by growth phenotype analysis of knockout mutants. Expression of these genes was induced by L-arginine in an aruF mutant strain devoid of a functional arginine succinyltransferase pathway, the major route of arginine utilization. Disruption of dadA, a putative catabolic alanine dehydrogenase-encoding gene, in the aruF mutant produced no growth on L-arginine, suggesting the involvement of L-alanine in arginine catabolism. This hypothesis was further supported by the detection of an L-arginine-inducible arginine:pyruvate transaminase activity in the aruF mutant. Knockout of aruH and aruI, which encode an arginine:pyruvate transaminase and a 2-ketoarginine decarboxylase in an operon, also abolished the ability of the aruF mutant to grow on L-arginine. The results of high-performance liquid chromatography analysis demonstrated consumption of 2-ketoarginine and suggested that generation of 4-guanidinobutyraldehyde occurred in the aruF mutant but not in the aruF aruI mutant. These results led us to propose the arginine transaminase pathway that removes the alpha-amino group of L-arginine via transamination instead of oxidative deamination by dehydrogenase or oxidase as originally proposed. In the same genetic locus, we also identified a two-component system, AruRS, for the regulation of arginine-responsive induction of the arginine transaminase pathway. This work depicted a wider network of arginine metabolism than we previously recognized.

The gene cluster for agmatine catabolism of Enterococcus faecalis: study of recombinant putrescine transcarbamylase and agmatine deiminase and a snapshot of agmatine deiminase catalyzing its reaction

Enterococcus faecalis makes ATP from agmatine in three steps catalyzed by agmatine deiminase (AgDI), putrescine transcarbamylase (PTC), and carbamate kinase (CK). An antiporter exchanges putrescine for agmatine. We have cloned the E. faecalis ef0732 and ef0734 genes of the reported gene cluster for agmatine catabolism, overexpressed them in Escherichia coli, purified the products, characterized them functionally as PTC and AgDI, and crystallized and X-ray diffracted them. The 1.65-Angstroms-resolution structure of AgDI forming a covalent adduct with an agmatine-derived amidine reactional intermediate is described. We provide definitive identification of the gene cluster for agmatine catabolism and confirm that ornithine is a genuine but poor PTC substrate, suggesting that PTC (found here to be trimeric) evolved from ornithine transcarbamylase. N-(Phosphonoacetyl)-putrescine was prepared and shown to strongly (K(i) = 10 nM) and selectively inhibit PTC and to improve PTC crystallization. We find that E. faecalis AgDI, which is committed to ATP generation, closely resembles the AgDIs involved in making polyamines, suggesting the recruitment of a polyamine-synthesizing AgDI into the AgDI pathway. The arginine deiminase (ADI) pathway of arginine catabolism probably supplied the genes for PTC and CK but not those for the agmatine/putrescine antiporter, and thus the AgDI and ADI pathways are not related by a single "en bloc" duplication event. The AgDI crystal structure reveals a tetramer with a five-blade propeller subunit fold, proves that AgDI closely resembles ADI despite a lack of sequence identity, and explains substrate affinity, selectivity, and Cys357-mediated-covalent catalysis. A three-tongued agmatine-triggered gating opens or blocks access to the active center.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 genes for 3-guanidinopropionate and 4-guanidinobutyrate utilization may be derived from a common ancestor

Pseudomonas aeruginosaPAO1 utilizes 3-guanidinopropionate (3-GP) and 4-guanidinobutyrate (4-GB), which differ in one methylene group only, via distinct enzymes: guanidinopropionase (EC 3.5.3.17; thegpuAproduct) and guanidinobutyrase (EC 3.5.3.7; thegbuAproduct). The authors cloned and characterized the contiguousgpuPARgenes (in that order) responsible for 3-GP utilization, and compared the deduced sequences of their putative protein products, and the potential regulatory mechanisms ofgpuPA, with those of the correspondinggbugenes encoding the 4-GB catabolic system. GpuA and GpuR have similarity to GbuA (49 % identity) and GbuR (a transcription activator ofgbuA; 37 % identity), respectively. GpuP resembles PA1418 (58 % identity), which is a putative membrane protein encoded by a potential gene downstream ofgbuA. These features of the GpuR and GpuP sequences, and the impaired growth ofgpuRandgpuPknockout mutants on 3-GP, support the notion that GpuR and GpuP direct the 3-GP-inducible expression ofgpuA, and the uptake of 3-GP, respectively. Northern blots of mRNA from 3-GP-induced PAO1 cells revealed three transcripts ofgpuA,gpuP, andgpuPandgpuAtogether, suggesting thatgpuPandgpuAeach have a 3-GP-responsible promoter, and that some transcription from thegpuPpromoter is terminated aftergpuP, or proceeds intogpuA. Knockout ofgpuRabolished 3-GP-dependent synthesis of the transcripts, confirming that GpuR activates transcription from these promoters, with 3-GP as a specific co-inducer. The sequence conservation between the three functional pairs of the Gpu and Gbu proteins, and the absence ofgpuAPRin closely related species, imply that the triadgpugenes have co-ordinately evolved from origins common to thegbucounterparts, to establish an independent catabolic system of 3-GP inP. aeruginosa.

Transcriptome analysis of the ArgR regulon in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Arginine metabolism in pseudomonads with multiple catabolic pathways for its utilization as carbon and nitrogen sources is of particular interest as the model system to study control of metabolic integration. We performed transcriptome analyses to identify genes controlled by the arginine regulatory protein ArgR and to better understand arginine metabolic pathways of P. aeruginosa. We compared gene expression in wild-type strain PAO1 with that in argR mutant strain PAO501 grown in glutamate minimal medium in the presence and absence of arginine. Ten putative transcriptional units of 28 genes were inducible by ArgR and arginine, including all known ArgR-regulated operons under aerobic conditions. The newly identified genes include the putative adcAB operon, which encodes a catabolic arginine decarboxylase and an antiporter protein, and PA0328, which encodes a hypothetical fusion protein of a peptidase and a type IV autotransporter. Also identified as members of the arginine network are the following solute transport systems: PA1971 (braZ) for branched-chain amino acids permease; PA2042 for a putative sodium:serine symporter; PA3934, which belongs to the family of small oligopeptide transporters; and PA5152-5155, which encodes components of an ABC transporter for a putative opine uptake system. The effect of arginine on the expression of these genes was confirmed by lacZ fusion studies and by DNA binding studies with purified ArgR. Only five transcriptional units of nine genes were qualified as repressible by ArgR and arginine, with three operons (argF, carAB, and argG) in arginine biosynthesis and two operons (gltBD and gdhA) in glutamate biosynthesis. These results indicate that ArgR is important in control of arginine and glutamate metabolism and that arginine and ArgR may have a redundant effect in inducing the uptake systems of certain compounds.

Identification of the putrescine biosynthetic genes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and characterization of agmatine deiminase and N-carbamoylputrescine amidohydrolase of the arginine decarboxylase pathway

Putrescine can be synthesized either directly from ornithine by ornithine decarboxylase (ODC; the speC product) or indirectly from arginine via arginine decarboxylase (ADC; the speA product). The authors identified the speA and speC genes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1. The activities of the two decarboxylases were similar and each enzyme alone appeared to direct sufficient formation of the polyamine for normal growth. A mutant defective in both speA and speC was a putrescine auxotroph. In this strain, agmatine deiminase (the aguA product) and N-carbamoylputrescine amidohydrolase (the aguB product), which were initially identified as the catabolic enzymes of agmatine, biosynthetically convert agmatine to putrescine in the ADC pathway: a double mutant of aguAB and speC was a putrescine auxotroph. AguA was purified as a homodimer of 43 kDa subunits and AguB as a homohexamer of 33 kDa subunits. AguA specifically deiminated agmatine with K(m) and K(cat) values of 0.6 mM and 4.2 s(-1), respectively. AguB was specific to N-carbamoylputrescine and the K(m) and K(cat) values of the enzyme for the substrate were 0.5 mM and 3.3 s(-1), respectively. Whereas AguA has no structural relationship to any known C-N hydrolases, AguB is a protein of the nitrilase family that performs thiol-assisted catalysis. Inhibition by SH reagents and the conserved cysteine residue in AguA and its homologues suggested that this enzyme is also involved in thiol-mediated catalysis.

Functional analysis and regulation of the divergent spuABCDEFGH-spuI operons for polyamine uptake and utilization in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1

A multiple-gene locus for polyamine uptake and utilization was discovered in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1. This locus contained nine genes designated spuABCDEFGHI (spu for spermidine and putrescine utilization). The physiological functions of the spu genes in utilization of two polyamines (putrescine and spermidine) were analyzed by using Tn5 transposon-mediated spu knockout mutants. Growth and uptake experiments support that the spuDEFGH genes specify components of a major ABC-type transport system for spermidine uptake, and enzymatic measurements indicated that spuC encodes putrescine aminotransferase with pyruvate as the amino group receptor. Although spuA and spuB mutants showed an apparent defect in spermidine utilization, the biochemical functions of the gene products have yet to be elucidated. Assays of lacZ fusions demonstrated the presence of agmatine-, putrescine-, and spermidine-inducible promoters for the spuABCDEFGH operon and the divergently transcribed spuI gene of unknown function. Since the observed induction effect of agmatine was abolished in an aguA mutant where conversion of agmatine into putrescine was blocked, putrescine or spermidine, but not agmatine, serves as the inducer molecule of the spuA-spuI divergent promoters. S1 nuclease mappings confirmed further the induction effects of the polyamines on transcription of the divergent promoters and localized the transcription initiation sites. Gel retardation assays with extracts from the cells grown on putrescine or spermidine demonstrated the presence of a polyamine-responsive regulatory protein interacting with the divergent promoter region. Finally, the absence of the putrescine-inducible spuA expression and putrescine aminotransferase (spuC) formation in the cbrB mutant indicated that the spu operons are regulated by the global CbrAB two-component system perhaps via the putative polyamine-responsive transcriptional activator.

Characterization and regulation of the gbuA gene, encoding guanidinobutyrase in the arginine dehydrogenase pathway of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1

The arginine dehydrogenase (or oxidase) pathway catabolically converts arginine to succinate via 2-ketoglutarate and 4-guanidinobutyrate (4-GB) with the concomitant formation of CO(2) and urea. Guanidinobutyrase (GBase; EC 3.5.3.7) catalyzes the conversion of 4-guanidinobutyrate to 4-aminobutyrate and urea in this pathway. We investigated the structure and regulation of the gene for GBase (designated gbuA) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 and characterized the gbuA product. The gbuA and the adjacent gbuR genes were cloned by functional complementation of a gbuA9005 mutant of strain PAO1 defective in 4-GB utilization. The deduced amino acid sequence of GbuA (319 amino acids; M(r) 34,695) assigned GBase to the arginase/agmatinase family of C-N hydrolases. Purified GbuA was a homotetramer of 140 kDa that catalyzed the specific hydrolysis of 4-GB with K(m) and K(cat) values of 49 mM and 1,012 s(-1,) respectively. The divergent gbuR gene, which shared the intergenic promoter region of 206 bp with gbuA, encoded a putative regulatory protein (297 amino acids; M(r) 33,385) homologous to the LysR family of proteins. Insertional inactivation of gbuR by a gentamicin resistance cassette caused a defect in 4-GB utilization. GBase and gbuA'::'lacZ fusion assays demonstrated that this gbuR mutation abolishes the inducible expression of gbuA by exogenous 4-GB, indicating that GbuR participates in the regulation of this gene. Northern blotting located an inducible promoter for gbuA in the intergenic region, and primer extension localized the transcription start site of this promoter at 40 bp upstream from the initiation codon of gbuA. The gbuRA genes at the genomic map position of 1547000 are unlinked to the 2-ketoarginine utilization gene kauB at 5983000, indicative of at least two separate genetic units involved in the arginine dehydrogenase pathway.

Molecular characterization and regulation of the aguBA operon, responsible for agmatine utilization in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1

Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 utilizes agmatine as the sole carbon and nitrogen source via two reactions catalyzed successively by agmatine deiminase (encoded by aguA; also called agmatine iminohydrolase) and N-carbamoylputrescine amidohydrolase (encoded by aguB). The aguBA and adjacent aguR genes were cloned and characterized. The predicted AguB protein (M(r) 32,759; 292 amino acids) displayed sequence similarity (< or =60% identity) to enzymes of the beta-alanine synthase/nitrilase family. While the deduced AguA protein (M(r) 41,190; 368 amino acids) showed no significant similarity to any protein of known function, assignment of agmatine deiminase to AguA in this report discovered a new family of carbon-nitrogen hydrolases widely distributed in organisms ranging from bacteria to Arabidopsis. The aguR gene encoded a putative regulatory protein (M(r) 24,424; 221 amino acids) of the TetR protein family. Measurements of agmatine deiminase and N-carbamoylputrescine amidohydrolase activities indicated the induction effect of agmatine and N-carbamoylputrescine on expression of the aguBA operon. The presence of an inducible promoter for the aguBA operon in the aguR-aguB intergenic region was demonstrated by lacZ fusion experiments, and the transcription start of this promoter was localized 99 bp upstream from the initiation codon of aguB by S1 nuclease mapping. Experiments with knockout mutants of aguR established that expression of the aguBA operon became constitutive in the aguR background. Interaction of AguR overproduced in Escherichia coli with the aguBA regulatory region was demonstrated by gel retardation assays, supporting the hypothesis that AguR serves as the negative regulator of the aguBA operon, and binding of agmatine and N-carbamoylputrescine to AguR would antagonize its repressor function.

The CbrA-CbrB two-component regulatory system controls the utilization of multiple carbon and nitrogen sources in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

A novel two-component system, CbrA-CbrB, was discovered in Pseudomonas aeruginosa; cbrA and cbrB mutants of strain PAO were found to be unable to use several amino acids (such as arginine, histidine and proline), polyamines and agmatine as sole carbon and nitrogen sources. These mutants were also unable to use, or used poorly, many other carbon sources, including mannitol, glucose, pyruvate and citrate. A 7 kb EcoRI fragment carrying the cbrA and cbrB genes was cloned and sequenced. The cbrA and cbrB genes encode a sensor/histidine kinase (Mr 108 379, 983 residues) and a cognate response regulator (Mr 52 254, 478 residues) respectively. The amino-terminal half (490 residues) of CbrA appears to be a sensor membrane domain, as predicted by 12 possible transmembrane helices, whereas the carboxy-terminal part shares homology with the histidine kinases of the NtrB family. The CbrB response regulator shows similarity to the NtrC family members. Complementation and primer extension experiments indicated that cbrA and cbrB are transcribed from separate promoters. In cbrA or cbrB mutants, as well as in the allelic argR9901 and argR9902 mutants, the aot-argR operon was not induced by arginine, indicating an essential role for this two-component system in the expression of the ArgR-dependent catabolic pathways, including the aruCFGDB operon specifying the major aerobic arginine catabolic pathway. The histidine catabolic enzyme histidase was not expressed in cbrAB mutants, even in the presence of histidine. In contrast, proline dehydrogenase, responsible for proline utilization (Pru), was expressed in a cbrB mutant at a level comparable with that of the wild-type strain. When succinate or other C4-dicarboxylates were added to proline medium at 1 mM, the cbrB mutant was restored to a Pru+ phenotype. Such a succinate-dependent Pru+ property was almost abolished by 20 mM ammonia. In conclusion, the CbrA-CbrB system controls the expression of several catabolic pathways and, perhaps together with the NtrB-NtrC system, appears to ensure the intracellular carbon: nitrogen balance in P. aeruginosa.

N2-succinylornithine in ornithine catabolism of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Most Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO mutants which were unable to utilize L-arginine as the sole carbon and nitrogen source (aru mutants) under aerobic conditions were also affected in L-ornithine utilization. These aru mutants were impaired in one or several enzymes involved in the conversion of N2-succinylornithine to glutamate and succinate, indicating that the latter steps of the arginine succinyltransferase pathway can be used for ornithine catabolism. Addition of aminooxyacetate, an inhibitor of the N2-succinylornithine 5-aminotransferase, to resting cells of P. aeruginosa in ornithine medium led to the accumulation of N2-succinylornithine. In crude extracts of P. aeruginosa an ornithine succinyltransferase (L-ornithine:succinyl-CoA N2-succinyltransferase) activity could be detected. An aru mutant having reduced arginine succinyltransferase activity also had correspondingly low levels of ornithine succinyltransferase. Thus, in P. aeruginosa, these two activities might be due to the same enzyme, which initiates aerobic arginine and ornithine catabolism.

Initial catabolism of aromatic biogenic amines by Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO: pathway description, mapping of mutations, and cloning of essential genes

Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 was able to utilize several aromatic biogenic amines as sole sources of carbon or nitrogen. These included the phenethylamines tyramine and dopamine and the phenethanolamines octopamine, synephrine, and norepinephrine. Initial catabolism of the phenethylamines was mediated by a membrane-bound tyramine dehydrogenase which produced 4-hydroxyphenylacetaldehyde (4HPAL) with tyramine as the substrate. The enzyme was induced by growth with both classes of amines. Initial catabolism of octopamine (except when present as the sole source of carbon and nitrogen) was mediated by a soluble enzyme with activity against the phenethanolamines but not against tyramine or dopamine. The product of the reaction with octopamine as substrate was also 4HPAL. Addition of NAD to reaction mixtures yielded 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid and NADH. These activities, octopamine hydrolyase and 4-HPAL dehydrogenase (measured as a combined activity, OCAH-4HPALDH), were only induced by growth with phenethanolamines. However, the combined activities were not observed in extracts from cells grown with octopamine as the sole source of carbon and nitrogen, suggesting that an alternate pathway is used under this growth condition. Two independently isolated mutant strains were unable to utilize tyramine as a sole source of carbon or nitrogen. These mutants were also unable to utilize dopamine but grew at wild-type rates on the phenethanolamines. The mutations were mapped at about 70 min on the PAO1 chromosome with the chromosome-mobilizing plasmid R68.45, and both were linked to the catA1, mtu-9002, tyu-9009, and puuE mutations. DNA complementing both of the mutations was cloned on a single BamHI fragment approximately 13.8 kilobase pairs in length. Analysis of a subcloned fragment showed that the two mutations were in different genes.

IS21 insertion in the trfA replication control gene of chromosomally integrated plasmid RP1: a property of stable Pseudomonas aeruginosa Hfr strains

Broad host range IncP-1 plasmids are able to integrate into the chromosome of gram-negative bacteria. Strains carrying an integrated plasmid can be obtained when the markers of a temperature-sensitive (ts) plasmid derivative are selected at non-permissive temperature; in this way Hfr (high frequency) donor strains can be formed. The integrated plasmids, however, tend to be unstable in the absence of continuous selective pressure. In order to obtain stable Hfr donor strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO, we constructed a derivative of an RP1 (ts) plasmid, pME134, which was defective in the resolvase gene (tnpR) of transposon Tn801. Chromosomal integration of pME134 was selected in a recombination-deficient (rec-102) PAO strain at 43 degrees C. Plasmid integration occurred at different sites resulting in a useful set of Hfr strains that transferred chromosomal markers unidirectionally. The tnpR and rec-102 mutations prevented plasmid excision from the chromosome. In several (but not all) Hfr strains that grew well and retained the integrated plasmid at temperatures below 43 degrees C, the insertion element IS21 of RP1 was found to be inserted into the trfA locus (specifying an essential trans-acting replication function) of the integrated plasmid. One such Hfr strain was rendered rec+; from its chromosome the pME134::IS21 plasmid (= pME14) was excised and transferred by conjugation to Escherichia coli where pME14 could replicate autonomously only when a helper plasmid provided the trfA+ function in trans. Thus, it appears that trfA inactivation favours the stability of chromosomally integrated RP1 in P. aeruginosa.

A probable new pathway for the biosynthesis of putrescine in Escherichia coli

Some cultures of Escherichia coli BGA8, a mutant unable to synthesize putrescine, showed a change of behaviour and could grow almost equally well in either the absence or the presence of polyamines after repeated periods of polyamine starvation. Experiments in vivo with radioactive precursors showed that the bacteria which evaded the polyamine requirement had recovered their ability to synthesize putrescine from glucose or glutamic acid, but not from ornithine or arginine. These results are in agreement with the fact that the polyamine-independent cells were still deficient in the enzymes ornithine decarboxylase and agmatinase. Our findings seem to indicate the existence of a new pathway synthesize putrescine which does not involve ornithine or arginine as intermediates.

Occurrence of succinyl derivatives in the catabolism of arginine in Pseudomonas cepacia

Pseudomonas cepacia NCTC 10743 utilizes arginine as the sole source of carbon and nitrogen for growth. Arginine is degraded to glutamate via succinyl derivatives. The catabolic sequence in this pathway is L-arginine----N2-succinylarginine----N2-succinylornithine--- -N2-succinylglutamate semialdehyde----N2-succinylglutamate----glutamate + succinate. The formation of the enzymes responsible for arginine degradation is regulated not only by induction but also by both carbon and nitrogen catabolite repression.

Altered control of glutamate dehydrogenases in ornithine utilization mutants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Two classes of ornithine-nonutilizing (oru) mutants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO were investigated. Strains carrying the oru-310 mutation were entirely unable to grow on L-ornithine as the only carbon and nitrogen source and were affected in the assimilation of a variety of nitrogen sources (e.g., amino acids, nitrate). The oru-310 mutation caused changes in the regulation of the catabolic NAD-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase; this enzyme was no longer inducible by glutamate but instead could be induced by ammonia. The oru-310 locus was cotransducible with car-9 and tolA in the 10 min region of the chromosome. An oru-314 mutant was severely handicapped in ornithine medium but could grow when a good carbon source was added; the mutant also showed pleiotropic growth effects related to nitrogen metabolism. The oru-314 mutation affected the regulation of the anabolic NADP-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase, which was no longer repressed by glutamate but showed normal derepression in the presence of ammonia. The oru-314 locus was mapped by transduction near met-9011 at 55 min. Both oru mutants could grow on L-glutamate, L-proline, or L-ornithine amended with 2-oxoglutarate, albeit slowly. We speculate that insufficient 2-oxoglutarate concentrations might account, at least in part, for the Oru- phenotype of the mutants.

Transposon insertion mutagenesis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa with a Tn5 derivative: application to physical mapping of the arc gene cluster

For insertional mutagenesis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a derivative of the kanamycin-resistance (KmR) transposon Tn5 was constructed (Tn5-751) that carried the trimethoprim-resistance (TpR) determinant from plasmid R751 as an additional marker. Double selection for KmR and TpR avoided the isolation of spontaneous aminoglycoside-resistant mutants which occur at high frequencies in P. aeruginosa. As a delivery system for the recombinant transposon, plasmid pME305, a derivative of the broad-host-range plasma RP1, proved effective; pME305 is temperature-sensitive at 43 degrees C for maintenance in Escherichia coli and P. aeruginosa and deleted for IS21 and the KmR and primase genes. In matings with an E. coli donor carrying pME9(= pME305::Tn5-751), transposon insertion mutants of P. aeruginosa PAO were recovered at approx. 5 X 10(-7)/donor at 43 degrees C. Among Tn5-751 insertional mutants 0.9% were auxotrophs. A thr::Tn5-751 mutation near the recA-like locus rec-102 is useful for the construction of recombination-deficient strains. Several arc::Tn5-751 mutants could be isolated that were defective in anaerobic utilization of arginine as an energy source. From three of these mutants the arc gene region was cloned into an E. coli vector plasmid. Since Tn5-751 has a single EcoRI site between the TpR and KmR genes, EcoRI-generated fragments carrying either resistance determinant plus adjacent chromosomal DNA could be selected separately in E. coli. Thus, a restriction map of the arc region was constructed and verified by hybridization experiments. The arc genes were tightly clustered, confirming earlier genetic evidence.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa mutants affected in anaerobic growth on arginine: evidence for a four-gene cluster encoding the arginine deiminase pathway

Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO was able to grow in the absence of exogenous terminal electron acceptors, provided that the medium contained 30 to 40 mM L-arginine and 0.4% yeast extract. Under strictly anaerobic conditions (O2 at less than 1 ppm), growth could be measured as an increase in protein and proceeded in a non-exponential way; arginine was largely converted to ornithine but not entirely consumed at the end of growth. In the GasPak anaerobic jar (Becton Dickinson and Co.), the wild-type strain PAO1 grew on arginine-yeast extract medium in 3 to 5 days; mutants could be isolated that were unable to grow under these conditions. All mutants (except one) were defective in at least one of the three enzymes of the arginine deiminase pathway (arcA, arcB, and arcC mutants) or in a novel function that might be involved in anaerobic arginine uptake (arcD mutants). The mutations arcA (arginine deiminase), arcB (catabolic ornithine carbamoyltransferase), arcC (carbamate kinase), and arcD were highly cotransducible and mapped in the 17-min chromosome region. Some mutations in the arc cluster led to low, noninducible levels of all three arginine deiminase pathway enzymes and thus may affect control elements required for induction of the postulated arc operon. Two fluorescent pseudomonads (P. putida and P. fluorescens) and P. mendocina, as well as one PAO mutant, possessed an inducible arginine deiminase pathway and yet were unable to grow fermentatively on arginine. The ability to use arginine-derived ATP for growth may provide P. aeruginosa with a selective advantage when oxygen and nitrate are scarce.